Match of the Dire
Watching some of the FA Cup games at the weekend, it just struck me how rubbish Match of the Day has become. The punditry has definitely hit an all-time low. At half-time during Sunday’s game with Aston Villa and Man City, Gary Lineker quipped :
Sylvain Distin’s volleyed effort on goal missed by, well, a distin’s…
The once-great Des Lyman rarely reverted to such crap puns as that, but when he did he was able to carry them off with an angled eyebrow or twitch of the moustache (I note that Des has now found himself as the host of Countdown — how the mighty have fallen).
Lineker’s side-kicks, Garth Crooks, Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson are even worse. Fair enough, Mika Richards, Man City’s teenage scorer shouldn’t have sworn when interviewed live on telly, but did Garth Crooks really have to be so condescending — “Look son, this is going out to a prime-time national audience…”.
The depressing thing is that it will only get worse when Alan Shearer joins next season…
Posted 2 years, 6 months ago on 21st February 2006.
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Comments
I’d like to see Adrian Chiles given a go. His approach is a refreshing change from Lineker’s 'nice guy, totally non-offensive' routine.
I remember he did MOTD during a match with Liverpool (can’t remember the opposition) just after Rafa Benitez took over. The previous manager, Gerard Houiller, was a guest in the studio and he asked him "Is watching Liverpool now like watching somebody sleeping with your wife?"
Can you imagine Gary Lineker ever asking something like that?
Excellent article by Will Buckley on Guardian Unlimited -
http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1724011,00.html
Check out www.sidenetting.co.uk which has Garth Crooks dressing down on Mikah Ricahrds verbatim. And a load of other rotten MOTD punditry. How do they keep their jobs?
Sorry http://www.sidenetting.co.uk
Sully · 2 years, 4 months ago
not nearly as bad as ITVs coverage of the Champs League... i turned to watch bayern v milan on sky it was so bad. Best not even mention Ch5..
lets hope the world cup improves things.. hopefully i’ll have skyHD to play with by then!
gray · www · 2 years, 6 months ago